Just once more
by Majani
Summary: Who was that girlfriend, Itachi killed with all the others at the massacre? And how did it come, that at a time of war and intrigues, Itachi Uchiha found a girlfriend anyway? The traitor x his "girl" ?
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer:_ and the winner of the naruto-owning goes to kishimoto. give it up for the moto-master

_Genre: _Looks like tragic

_Warning:_ Loads of killing, self-destruction plans and spoiler (for all those who haven't read about itachi's past yet)

_Pairing: _Itachi and his "girlfriend" (?)

**A/N: **(quote from the manga:) "killed his friends... his superiors... his girlfriend ..." FTW!! No WAY! I was shocked lol Itachi had a girlfriend. But who? And for god's sake why?! And which type of girl fits anyway to Itachi...?! Question by question and I made my thoughts to it - that's the ouptut (points below)

Btw - I read the scene in a hurry and misunderstood some things lol But apart from that I really tried to stay as close to the canon as possible :) hopefully sucessfully

Anyway! Here goes the prologue!

* * *

-

Madara's Words echoed in his mind, as he closed his shoes. He stayed sitting on the wooden floor to his home, stared blankely at his feet. "_To reach the complete Mangekyou Sharingan, you must kill your best friend – and your girlfriend_",

It failed at the last point. His impassive glare went over the busy street in front of him. Some laughing girls passed him by. Some of them responded to his sight, reacted accordingly.

He lowered his sight again, stared at the sand to his feet. He would find a way. He would get those eyes. For _him_.

"Itachi! Are you leaving again? Aren't you training with me today?" Sasuke bounced over the floor to him. With a pouting underlip, he fell to his knees beside him. The neverending routine was the only thing, that made him smile – even if it was a little one. Sasuke just would never give in.

He poked his forehead and answered: "Maybe next time, Sasuke"

Even if there wouldn't be a next time.

-


	2. The fading memories

_Disclaimer: _I dont own Naruto. Still. Yet.

**A/N:** Second chapter. I changed some things, so it's better to read :) It all takes place within the Uchiha-district.

And we love little Sasuke, dont we? Such a... spoiled brat lol Nah. See yourself :)

* * *

toozakaru omoide wa itsumademo mabushisugite

mou nido to aenai kedo

* * *

Sasuke was at the playground and sat with a sad expression on a swing. Back in the days his brother had accompanied him here more often. But he had changed. Ever since he was a member of this weird Anbu organisation, he had gotten serious and distant. No fun, no playing together – no even BEING together.

"Do you need somebody to swing you?" Surprised he looked up.

"Shuiro!" He cheered as he saw her. The girl had been in the same Team as Itachi – and was still there. She stopped in front of him and smiled friendly. "Yeah, please. Itachi is – guess what – not here. I have to swing on my own…" On his own. Always on his own.

„Keep your peckers up, Sasuke. Your brother is probably saving some human lives at the moment. Its another good thing besides swinging, isnt it?" Sie stepped behind him and pushed him forward. He moved halfhearted.

"I don't care. He shall come back… to mum and dad and… to _me_", He murmured.

„He will. For certain – until then, you just look for another swinging-partner",

„And who? YOU?" Er showed playfully his tongue and snickered loudly, as she pinched him for it. „You don't have so much time, either, Shuiro",

„Well, in relation to others, I have a lot of time – but you will always have more time, Sasuke. Maybe you should look for another hobby? How is it going in the Nin-school?"

„I'm the BEST!" He boasted. „Nobody is as good as I am. Today at throwing Shuriken, I hit the wood every single time. So??"

„You will become a great Ninja, Sasuke. And who knows – maybe even better as your brother?" He looked back, his eyes glimming brightly.

"Yeeah? You think so? Is it even possible??"

„For certain. You definitely have the talent and the ambition for it", She sat down in the swing beside him. "I couldn't do the fireball jutsu with five years. It's really impressive",

"Ah, it's nothing. Itachi could do it much earlier", He lowered his head again. "Daddy says I'm not as talented as he is",

"It depends on what YOU think, Sasuke. And if you think, it's possible, then it is. If you want, we can even train together",

"Hum, I don't know. Usually I wanted to… train… with Itachi", He answered and made a sad face. The same moment the sand from the playground crunched. "Itachi!" Sasuke shouted and jumped to his feet. „You were so fast! You stay here? You don't go away again?? Can you swing me?!"

„Shuiro", Itachi took a small bow to her and stepped to his brotherAn, who bounced beaming to the swing and swung with enthuisum, while Itachi pushed him gently.

"Shuiro offered me to train with her!" Itachi threw her a short glance. She responded it friendly. „But I wanna train with YOU!"

„You could train with the TWO of us?" She suggested. Sasuke opened perplex his mouth.

„Hum, yeah. You're right. YEAH, I could do that! Is that okay, Itachi? Okay, if I train with Shuiro, too?" Itachi didn't even answer. He seemed to be lost in thoughts. Just nodding slightly to the Sasuke's questions, he kept on swinging him.

"Mother's calling you, Sasuke", He stopped all of a sudden. Shuiro hadn't heard a thing. She recognised again, that Itachi's ears were a lot better than hers. Well, not just his ears.

"Stay here! I come back!" Sasuke said to them and sprinted away. Itachi blinked, took two slowly steps around the swing and sat down beside her, his shoulders sunken, the head bent.

"Everything's alright, Itachi?" She asked concerned and recognised the bloodtraces on his skin and his Anbu clothes. The pony tail hung red glimming over his shoulder.

„How is Sanosuke?" He responded. Sanosuke was the third member of their team. Itachi caused some inferior complexes in the poor guy.

"He's fine. Soon we get a new member. Maybe then we can do some upper ranks mission again. He's really looking forward to it. The D-ranks get to him",

"You wanna train with Sasuke?"

"He was really sad. It was the only thing that came into my mind to cheer him up. He misses you so much",

"Yeah…" His glare got glassy.

„Maybe someday he will understand that your profession takes a lot of time. And who knows - maybe through your absence he will get more self-dependet", He blinked and threw her a glare from the corner of his eye.

Suddenly he sat up, fully aware again, his head turned to her.

"What are you doing, Shuiro?" Her smile got a little embarrassed, she started playing with her fingers between her knees.

"I'm doing… missions and such stuff",

"And besides?" She didn't know if his glare stood for interest or politness. Breathing deeply she answered: "Sometimes I make music… or I read. I go for walks a lot",

"Hm…" He blinked and turned away again. „Sounds good", He stood up, his hands bent in half-opened fists. "Maybe we can go together from time to time", Surprised she raised her brows. She just managed to shrug approvingly.

"Sure. Everytime you want – but maybe you shall spent some time with Sasuke before", He nodded slightly, stayed for another second and walked away then. She sat there, looked after him. Itachi never really cared for her. She was rather one of those, he didn't even look at. This boy had a clear goal in mind and everything else was not even worth thinking of.

Though she knew he could be all warm-hearted and caring – He was like that, when he was with his brother. Sometimes she asked herself, what had made him so distant to all the other people of the clan.

-

* * *

A/N: The headline is from "The last song" by Gackt. The meaning of it will be revealed as headers of the chapters :) there will be three parts of the story. Each ending of it can be interpreted as the real ending. So you can just stop the story there lol or keep it going.

Well, for now it seems they will meet again. Dont they? And will Shuiro find out why she is suddenly worth a thought?

Btw - Shuiro means vermilion. Beautiful word. In every language obviously...


	3. Are brilliant

_Disclaimer_: No Naruto. Everything goes to Kishimoto(rola)

**A/N**: We summarise: Itachi wants Mangekyou eyes. Itachi needs to kill his best friend and and a yet not existing girlfriend to get them. Itachi meets Shuiro, a member of his former Ninja-group. Hum. I wonder what he has in mind lol

Who wants some romance?? Ah, you. Yeeeah, there you go :D

* * *

They had gone for a walk through the meadows. Itachi hadn't talked that much, just asked from time to time. She wasn't a great talker either, so they had spent most of time in silence – and it had never been an uncomfortable one, though.

"You're having any further plans for today?" She asked as Konohagakure came in sight again. Blankely he looked at her. "Not a lot of clouds today. I think there will be a really nice sunset. And at night a bright moon - Even starlit, if the wind keeps on blowing like this. Maybe there are shooting stars!"

His mien didn't give a hint, what he thought about it. Impassive he glared at her for seconds, looked away then and nooded eventually.

"You're often doing this?"

"Too often", She exhaled. "Sometimes I forget how tired I am and fell asleep there above",

"Above?"

"We have a lattice in our garden. It's strong enough to carry me – and I guess the two of us, too. We would be totally uninterrupted. Well except my mother comes, she's the only one who knows about this place", He nodded lost in thought and followed her through the streets. Her house looked like all the others – just the lattice in the garden was uncommon. Flowerranks made their way along the netting to the ceiling. He recognised her routine to go up there, as she climbed it without any effort.

He followed her above. Automatically he cowered down in a shielding position and looked down to the main street. There was a pretty good sight without being recognised – the top of the lattice was hidden behind a blooming Sakuratree.

"We can stalk people, too, if you like to", She whispering grinning and laid down beside him. For the first time he nitted his brows. A little wrinkle showed up in between. As he recognised her peaceful smile, it disappeared again.

"No. Sunset is fine with me", He responded and rolled over. Together they laid down against the roof. They had a really good sight to the mountains in the distance, which seemed to pull the sun to themselves. For a while they just watched how the colours changed continuously.

"This is it", She murmered all of a sudden. "I love this moment… when the colours are too good to be true",

"Hn?" He responded irritated. With one arm behind her head, she pointed at the sky: "It's the exactly right incidence of light. The rose, the bright red and the indigo shades are so soft as if they were drawn – and the same time they seem so real. I look at this and I just feel… happy. Colours really influence the mind…" She mused in a low voice.

"Colours?"

"Ah come on. You know that we are responsive to colours. No? But we are. Maybe you have a colour too, that gives you this one certain feeling. This… _comforting_ feeling", It made him thoughtful – not for the first time, since he had gone for a walk with her.

Somehow she always mentioned little, tiny things, he didn't pay even the slightest amout of attention. He took them for granted. Who cared about the sunset – as far as he knew, there was one each evening, so what? And though. As he laid there and looked at the sky, there was a weird feeling coming up in him. He couldn't figure it out, what unsettled him even more. On the outside he didn't even bat an eyelid.

"What will you do in the future?" He asked after a while.

"Become a med-nin",

"Med-nin? Why?"

"I'm not a fighter", He turned his head to face her. There was this slight smile on her lips that always made her appear warm-hearted and friendly. "I didn't really understand the principles… so I think it's better to do something else. To heal people sounds good",

"What principles?" She finally responded his glare. Her smile faded with his expression.

"The principle to fulfil missions. I don't get why I shall fight against other people – or even kill them",

He could just agree. After all that he had seen, he didn't get the sense of it, too. But soon he wouldn't have to deal with such things anymore anyway. Soon the peace of the country would be safed – and his doom with it.

"Sanosuke is always saying – Just the strong survive. But being strong is relative, isn't it? You can be strong, but there's surely someone who's stronger than you. There's always someone, who's stronger, faster and more intelligent. And though some people survive – and I don't think those are the strongest, fastes and most intelligent ones",

"And who survives then?" He asked quietly.

"Those who don't clich too hard on their lives", She closed her eyes and smiled at him. He couldn't hold it back. It twitched in the corner of his mouth – he had to smile, too. Synchronically they turned to the sunset again.

The same principles, he thought. Though their fighting natures were so different. She had never been a great fighter, indeed. To be exactly, she had never fought, when it was not totally necessary and even then, just with the slightest amount of effort. It was her Uchiha-gene that made her superior against the others, even without much training.

He wanted to be like her. No needless fighting. No needless blood spilling. That's the way it was supposed to be.

Covered in silence and the night, they laid beside each other and looked up to the stars. Itachi thought about the following weeks. He had to meet Madara and eventually get a date. His father and some others already got suspicious of him. At the latest when they found out about his double-role, he had to kill them all.

But he wouldn't let it get that far. Everything had to go after plan and because of this-

"Ah, there is one!" Shuiro jerked him out of his thoughts. He still saw the glimming of the tail of a dying shooting star. "There! Another one!" Suddenly there was one after another. Shuiro breathed impressed beside him. He was shortly carried away, too. For the first time he was aware of the stars above him and there different nuances of light. "Can you see the star signs?" She asked after the last one.

"You?" He responded.

"Yeah! Look – there is the Scorpio to the left",

"Where?" He tried to follow her pointing fingers. After a short glare at her relaxed being, he got closer to her. Their heads almost touched, but she didn't seem to notice anyway - instead she kept on pointing at the sky. "And this is the Cancer-sign. I know, you need some fantasy to see it. And this would be the Taurus sign – and this star by the way is the Venus. She's called the morning and the evening star. Funny, huh?"

"And what is your star sign?"

"Cancer. Twentythird of June. Yours?" She looked at him, the scars on his cheeks were clearly visible.

"Gemini. Ninth of June",

"Ah, Gemini is here!" She traced the constellation with her fingers. "They're two people, who hold onto each other. Can you see it? And this star underneath – this is Saturn. Don't be misled by the low light – the planet is a hell of a thing!"

"You know a lot about this",

"That's what people mostly do, when they're interested in something", She shrugged. "Sometimes I try to find my own constellations in the stars. Wait…" She scanned the sky with her finger, as if it was a plain map. "Here! When you connect this star, with this and this…" He followed the movements of her fingers, realised how the invisible lines formed themselves to two signs. "Then there goes my name!"

He starred above. The two Kanji-signs lightened up in front of his inner eyes. Shuiro. The signs were red. Blood red. Mangekyou red.

"I will go home now", He sat up abruptly. She rose surprised.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No – I just need to go now",

"Alright, then… goodbye...?" She watched him standing up and looking for hold in the lattice. With his head still above the top, he held still. His sight was on her – the caring, warm written all over her face, her fragile body, the Uchiha-typical black eyes.

"Good night, Shuiro", He had gotten carried away again. Slightly shaking his head, he jumped the last bit to the ground. As he went home, he could feel her look on his back.

But he knew, what he had to do – and there was nothing that could hold him back.

-

* * *

**A/N:** Hum, seems Itachi was THOUGH shortly held back! – or why does he have to remind himself? +gg+

_Preview aka Itachi's get-a-girlfriend-check-list_:

Going on a date – check

Playing hard to get – check-ehehe

Inviting her for dinner – still to do

Kissing or whatsoever – still to do

Kill and get her eyes, bwahahaha – still to do


	4. As always

_Disclaimer:_ Naruto got owned by Kishi the Moto

_Summary:_ Itachi needs a girlfriend to gain power and instantly meets a girl from his clan. Shuiro has no idea whats going on and enjoys his company. The last time though he left her kind of abruptly. What is he up to?

**A/N:** Here goes some romance - or as romantic as it can be with Itachi's character lol

* * *

It was late at night, when he returned from one of his missions. The emptiness that appeared every time when he killed, accompanied him. His whole body was filled up with it – made him feel like he was just a hollow shell. His hands were covered in blood - But not a single drop belonged to him.

He lifted his head and looked up to the lattice that was half hidden behind the blooming Sakura- tree. He recognised her hair on the edge of the top. She had been waiting for him – and fell asleep again. The gesture made something with the emptiness in him. Something moved within – but as always, he couldn't understand it and forgot about it for the moment.

Instead he thought of his goal, what he had to do for it and clenched determined his fists. He bended down, reached for a small stone and threw it at the top.

"AH!" He heard her damped voice. Her head moved up, their eyes met. "Itachi! You're here!" She stood up with still shaky legs from her nap and climbed down the lattice. Her steps got slower before she stopped in front of him. Her usual, small smile had a shy touch. In the light of the streetlamp he could see a rose shade on her cheeks. "How was your mission?"

He didn't answer, just looked impassive at her. For the first time the silence between them was filled with tension. She breathed in deeply and blinked, irritation coming up.

She wanted to start babbling, as he gripped her shoulders and pushed her back. In surprise she took the steps back until she hit the pillar of the lattice. She turned her head from the side back to him, having no idea what the heck was going on.

The same second he crashed his lips on her.

Her eyes widened.

It had absolutely nothing romantic. Quite the contrary: It hurt to be pressed against the wood like that, his grip on her shoulder hurt too. Even his lips felt hard and uncomfortable against hers – without any movement, just pressed together tightly. She got over her shock, laid her hands on his shoulders and pushed him gently away.

He reacted, moved his head back. His cat-like eyes starred at her in an incomprehensible way, took in every so tiny movement of her.

"Itachi…" She started quietly, lowered her head under his inquisitor-like glare. "You're hurting me…" It made him blink. His hand seemed to hold onto and push her all by itself. Quickly he removed it. She massaged the aching area, tried to understand, what was going on in him.

She decided to make a joke and asked with a small smile: "Was this supposed to be a kiss?"

The wrinkle between his eyes showed up. She had unsettled him. Once again.

"Yeah", He finally said in a harsh tune.

"Ähm… may I… show you something?" She asked shyly smiling and took one step to him. Still he starred at her, as if she was a foreign object that suddenly had started to move on his own.

Her left hand shook in slight nervousness, as she placed it on his blood covered shoulder. Her look wandered over his throat, his impassive face expression to his eyes. Even in those she couldn't figure out what was thinking or feeling.

Slowly she leaned forward, closed her eyes and touched his lips gently with hers. He'd winced back in the last moment, had risen his hands in an act of defence. Though he had stopped on half of the way and let his hands sink slowly again. She touched his right with her left hand, first just with the back - and eventually she linked her pinky with his thumb.

His eyes were half closed. He still didn't know what to do with this new feeling that had come up with her warm lips on his – with her nearness. She turned her head, kissed him again, leaned more into him. Their chests touched. Her pinky stroked softly over his thumb.

His lids closed completely.

* * *


	5. But we

_Disclaimer_: Who owns Naruto? (o) Akira Toriyama (o) Nobuhiro Watsuki (x) Masashi Kishimoto

**A/N**: Welcome, welcome. Here goes another chapter of the awesome "Just once more" aka "Itachi and the Come, Come Paradise in use" lol

The summary aka a little arithmetic thing: "Itachi needs a girlfriend to kill her to get Mangekyou" + "Itachi spends time with the Uchiha girl Shuiro" + "Itachi kisses Shuiro" makes: ...?? (embarrassed silence… sudden cry:) A BABY!

Naaaah. though... -thinks- anyway, the result will be revealed in the next two chapters.

Time is ruuuunning ouuut…

* * *

The people were starring at them as Shuiro and him walked by. Some in disapproval, others in awe. He couldn't care less. Shuiro didn't seem to notice, too. Even if she did, she didn't care either. But in another way than him.

"How was school?" He asked into the casual silence between them.

„Ah, weird. Sanosuke is trying to make an alliance with me against Tokushu",

"Why should he?"

"Weeell, you know, the whole 'Uchiha is all, everything else is not even worth to live' thing. And when I said I'm fine with his thoughts, but there're not mine, he… well, you know him - he got angry. Calling me disloyal, a traitor and such stuff", She sighed and shook her head.

Itachi's eyes had gotten dark. They were all right in Konoha. The Uchihas had put themselves on a podest, that didn't exist. The fact that they claimed to have their kids in one ninjagroup, despite all others, who were mixed up together, was one proof for it. But soon they would fall from their high horse anyway - and maybe never stand up again. It was up to him.

"Want some dango?" He blinked and looked up to her. Shuiro had stopped in front of an Uchiha-stall, selling warm and cold food.

He bought themselves two pieces, stepped with her to the side to eat. Some guys from the police station stood some metres away from them. He felt their eyes on his shoulder, heard them saying his name – and speculating about his suspicious attitude in the last time.

"You like dango, don't you?" Her grin brought him back. Irritated with the dango hanging between his teeth, he looked at her. It made her even more amused. Quietly laughing she lowered her head. "Sometimes… you still look your age, Itachi",

"Hn?" The wrinkle between his brows got deeper. He finally took a bite from his dango. The police guys were still looking at them. He tried to hear what they were saying, but Shuiro caught his attention once more: "Are you stalking people again?"

"What?" He felt confusion rising up. Though he really wanted to know about the police guys' conversation, he turned to her.

"You have this look on your face again. Like you're listening… and I mean you ARE listening, but just not to me. Are there any interesting girls… or… _boys_?" She added brightly grinning. He shot her a dry glare.

Slowly and in an impassive voice, he answered: „Sometimes… you still act your age, Shuiro", She was shortly impressed by his tit-for-that response.

„Yeah. Sometimes I need that", She then murmured thoughtfully smiling. "Don't you want to sometimes as well?" They exchanged a long, meaningful glare – as they suddenly got interrupted.

"Itachi-kun. There you are", Shisui – Itachi's best friend – joined them in the shadow of the stall. "Shuiro", He nodded to her. "Enjoying some dango? Is his favourite food", He added to her and smiled with pride at Itachi, who shot Shuiro another meaningful sight.

"Um… I wanted to leave anyway", She said and handed Itachi her last piece.

„Any plans for tomorrow?" Itachi asked as she walked by. Always surprised at his interest of being with her, she stopped and pondered.

"Just school. The evening seems fine. You wanna go for a walk?" He nodded. She smiled at his common, impassive mien, not really getting what was going on in his head and then walked away. Shisui looked after her, sighed.

"I always wondered what kind of girl would appeal to you", He leaned back at the wall, the hands buried in his pockets. "Either a girl that's totally the opposite of you ooor… her", He grinned and shook his head in still lingering disbelieve. "Calm like you. Thoughtfully like you. Loyal like you…",

For a second Itachi wondered if he already knew. His eyes narrowed an inch. "But you're definitely not a dreamer",

"So is she", He responded quietly.

"Really? Well, she seems like… like she's always in another world",

"She's more in the here and now than most of us", Shisui blinked puzzled at his reaction: "You really like her, don't you?" Itachi looked away in response. The police men threw him a last glare and then turned away to their office. It seemed like time was running out. He had to act.

"Shisui – I need to talk to you", He said in a low voice, aware if anybody could hear him. "Meet me tonight at the river. There is something about Konoha, you need to know", He paused for a second. "- Before all others", He added almost inaudible.

"Yeah?" Shisui was immediately all serious. "Do they really want to attack us? I hope they know they don't have a chance – not as long as we have people like you and me around", He growled offensively.

"I will tell you tonight. Take care nobody's following you", Itachi said and nodded to him in goodbye. Shisui looked after him, sighing again. Something really bad must had happened. Itachi was getting weirder and weirder each day. And the weirdest about it, was the fact, that in all this weirdness he got himself a girlfriend.

Unbelieveable. Absolutely unbelieveable.

-


	6. can't meet again

_Disclaimer_: Kishimoto owns 2 notebooks full of ideas! - oh, and naruto, but who cares

**A/N**: So. A longer chapter. I decided that I will post longer chapter anyway. I just dunno when I'm able to post them, as university is getting reeeally busy at the moment. BUT - leave it to me. I'll find a way :) So here goes to last chapter of the first part.

ah and btw - I described the massacer scene as I had it in mind. I guess it is (a little lol) different from the manga ;)

* * *

"Thanks again for the invitation, Miss Mikoto", Shuiro bowed and made place fore Itachi, who stood up beside her. "The dinner was amazing",

"It was my pleasure, Shuiro. I hope we will meet again soon", responded Itachi's mother with a small bow herself. "It's nice to have another woman in this household from time to time", She winked and patted Sasuke, who yanked protestantly her clothes.

Shuiro wanted to add something, but Itachi touched her shoulder and pushed her gently forward.

"I'll go straight to the Hokage", He said as they turned away. "I don't know if I come back today",

"Alright…" Mikoto's smile faded and a worried expression appeared on her face, ash she watched them walk away. Itachi had gotten more and more closed-up in the last weeks. Was Shuiro the reason and he needed more privatsphere? Or was it his work? Maybe it was the bloody missions. He was though a child through all his talents.

"Now he's going away again", Sasuke blowed his cheeks and made a grumbling face. "Since he's friends with Shuiro, he doesn't care for me at all",

"The two aren't friends-" Mikoto corrected and stroke his stubborn hair out of his face. "Shuiro is his _girlfriend_. Like Daddy and me – just not married", Sasuke shrugged angrily and shook his head. All that mattered to him, was his brother, who wasn't paying attention to him anymore.

Their hands touched once in a while. Besides nobody could have known that they had a deeper relationship. Itachi walked with his common poker-face through the streets, already dressed up for his next mission. Her glare stopped at his Katana – which she had seen so often covered in blood.

He accompanied her to her house, even though it was an detour for him. They stopped in front of her entrance and faced each other. "You have some seconds? I have something for you", She didn't wait for his Non-reaction and disappeared in the house.

As she stepped to him again, she had a little, brown bag in her hand. He took it, looked at it with a blank mien. "Sweet herbs. When you can't stand the blood smell anymore, then take a breath of them", She smiled and linked her hands behind her back. Seconds passed, his glare glued to the brown sack. Then he closed his fist around it and brought it to his nose, tried it.

There went the wrinkle between his eyebrows again – as always, when he was irritated about something. It made her laugh quietly. "You know the smell? For certain – I always smell of it. They're the dried blooms from our observatory", She beamed in her calm way.

He looked at her – the little, brown sack with her smell lifted to his face. She responded his starring with a soft, cheekily smile. Finally he let his hand fall and blinked.

"Thanks", He said. Again silence fell over them. Somehow he seemed to fight with himself. "Listen" He started, as she started to tremble. "I want you to wait for me at the meadows tomorrow", The impassive expression disappeared for seconds – he had grabbed her arm, looked at her insistently. "It's important – you understand?"

"Yeah, sure. Is it serious?" She asked surprised and worried the same time.

"Maybe – I don't know yet. I tell you tomorrow", He lowered his head, his sight fell once again on the brown sack in his fist. His common, blank mien returned, he let her go and turned around. "So goodbye til tomorrow",

"Goodbye…" She nodded confused. He threw her a last glance, seemed to be far away with his thoughts and went away. If she just knew, what was going on in him. Maybe it was because of Shisui? After he had committed suicide at the river, Itachi had gotten more silent than before. And not enough, he was suspected of Shisui's death. Even his own father seemed to think so. Maybe he eventually needed somebody to talk to.

And she would be there for him.

-

He was in this blood-trance. His katana slit on its own the attacking bodies. And there was nothing that could hold something against him. One by one the crowd around him disappeared – the moaning, dying people got more and more.

In the end there were just two persons left: His father was standing in the door to their home. From within he could hear his mother screaming his name. Fugaku was already fatally wounded. Blood was dripping out of a cut on his side.

"Why – just tell me, why!" Fugaku breathed heavily, his sword still determined and ready to fight in his hands. "Why did you betray us??" He yelled. Itachi just looked impassive at him and answered quietly: "_You_ betrayed Konoha", With that he attacked.

He pushed his father into the room. Though he was wounded, he was still impressively strong and quick. But Itachi was quicker. He targeted an unprotected area, made a step forward and let his katana cut through a body - Not the one from his father. His mother had thrown herself in between. She choked, in the next second she hung dead on his sword.

Itachi simply pulled it out, glared from the movingless body of his mother up to his father. Fugaku fell to his knees, his shakings hands reaching for his wife.

"What have you done… what have you DONE…?!" He whispered in horror. Itachi gave him the finishing stroke. His body fell over his mother's one, his head rolled over the blood-covered ground.

All of a sudden weird silence filled the room, filled the city, filled his whole being.

It was done. He had killed them all. Even his parents.

His mission was almost fulfilled. There were just two things left to do. He didn't wait for long, before he heard Sasuke's gasps. In the next moment he slided into the room. With one glance he recognised his dead parents, with the next he ran screaming towards Itachi.

"How could you?! What have you done?!" He yelled. For one second Itachi wished, he could take him in his arms and explain him. In the next he hit him to the side. Sasuke banged against the wall, fell to the floor, moaned in pain.

Immediately he pulled himself together, got on his knees and faced his brother again. As their eyes met, Itachi had activated his sharingain and pulled Sasuke into it. He made him relive the last half an hour through his eyes again. From the beginning, when he had killed the women and children, until their men had realised it and he had killed them too - Til the ending, when he had killed his own family.

Some seconds passed by, Sasuke was all of a sudden pale as a sheet. He gasped and grabbed his head with both hands. "Mum… dad…! What… why… why did you do this??" He asked with a choking voice and tears in his eyes.

There was just one way to make Sasuke surviveable.

"I have killed the Uchihas to be the strongest. But you're not even worth it, little brother. You're weak and depended", Sasuke starred up at him, his wet eyes narrowed, his teeth gritted. "Yeah, hate me, Sasuke. Hate me and get strong. And when you're ready, come to take revenge on me",

He should never find out, that the Uchihas themselves had brought shame over the clan. Nobody should ever find out – just those who were already involved in it. The rest of the world – and Sasuke – shall always live in the believe, he had done it because of lower motives. The shame of the Uchihas. Maybe there was a way to gain back the old honor.

Itachi took a last look at him and left - As if nothing had happened. As if there hadn't been his dead parents on the ground of his once home, if there hadn't been countless dead bodies scattered on the streets, no blood-spattered buildings.

He walked through the streets til he reached the suburbia of the village. Behind the city walls, the meadows and trees were blooming. They had been completely unaffected by the massacre. Even-tempered, if war broke out or not. Clans got killed or not. If he was happy – or not.

Shuiro laid in the middle of a flowersea, the arms crossed behind her head and dozing. She looked so peacefully – almost like the meadow itself. Completely unaffected by any violence. Something moved within him – like so often, when he saw her. It made him laying down beside her to observe her inaudibly.

For minutes he just starred at her – and realised how the emptiness no longer felt as horrible as before. But he knew this feeling was just for this moment. Soon she would be a part of his past – he needed something more important than her company.

He rose one bloodcovered hand, moved it towards her, but stopped it half on its way to her eyes. Doubts came up in him. Could it be true? Why should he have doubts, when it was so easy to do it. He just needed to forget his feelings and kill her, pull out her eyes and add them to his.

What made her any different to the others. His father, his mother, Shisui. He didn't know her properly. He didn't even have any deeper feelings for her. She was nothing to him – or as much as anybody else of the clan. Instantly he held a Kunai in his hand, moved it towards her throat.

One movement, one slide and everything was done – and he would have reached his goal. Mangekyou Sharingan. The two words echoed in the emptiness within him. For _him_. For _Sasuke_.

She interrupted his thoughts, as she breathed in. He didn't move, as she laid her head to the side and suddenly faced him fully – still sleeping. The Kunai hung a few millimetres away in front of her nose. How could she not feel the danger? Or did she not feel it at all? Cause there was no reason for feeling it? No.

He had to kill her. There was no other way. He didn't even know, if she wasn't though involved in the attack on the Senju. On the other side he didn't assessed her like that. So either it was really her nature or she had played with him, as he had done with her. But why should she play with him?

She never had felt the urge to prove him something. She never had wanted anything from him. She simply had been there. By his side.

His hand sank into the grass. Could it be? Had it gotten so far? - Did she mean something to him in the end?

But even if, there was no future for them together. One way or another. He took the Kunai one more time, moved it towards her throat again –

And asked himself, if there wasn't though a possibility.

-


End file.
